The North East England Chamber of Commerce has appointed a new senior executive team.
Jennifer Rycroft has been promoted to executive director membership and Rhiannon Bearne is now executive director policy and representation. Meanwhile, Aneela Ali joins the Chamber team as executive director finance and corporate services. And all three have become board members.
Chief executive John McCabe said: "The North East economy is going through a period of change with challenges to overcome and enormous potential to seize. The Chamber’s new structure, headed by this strong and talented Executive Team, ensures we are ready to play our full part in creating a stronger, fairer North East. Jen and Rhiannon contribute so much to our work and have consistently proven themselves as outstanding leaders in the business.
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"Aneela joins us with a strong track record of achieving commercial success and developing and implementing resource strategies to grow finances, ensuring long term sustainability. She has also developed a number of key partnerships in the region. The Chamber is stronger for having Jen, Rhiannon and Aneela in these senior roles and I’m excited to be leading such a brilliant executive team."
PD Ports has made two executive leadership appointments.
The seaport and logistics operator has hired Liz Law as chief financial officer and Andrew Crowe as chief commercial officer, amid a period of transformation. Ms Law joins PD Ports from Royal Mail where she held several senior positions both in and outside finance, latterly as the chief financial officer for Royal Mail UK.
She said: “I am very excited to join PD Ports and work with the team to deliver continued success for the business. PD Ports plays an important role facilitating trade and helping drive the UK economy from the heart of the Tees Valley. I look forward to being part of that."
Mr Crowe joins the group from a career at Shell where he held global executive roles within the oil, gas and energy sector - experience that will come into play as PD Ports looks to harness the River Tees’ role in the UK's energy transition. Mr Crowe said: “I look forward to working alongside our key stakeholders to deliver on initiatives related to energy transition whilst simultaneously enhancing the competitiveness of the Tees Valley region and continuing to promote Teesport as a critical gateway for trade.”
Frans Calje, CEO at PD Ports, said: "These are both exciting and challenging times for PD Ports, for Teesport and for the regions in which we are based. However, our business has a historic track record, earned throughout over 150 years of continuous operation of being a positive catalyst for change and with these changes to our team I am confident we will continue to develop the business and deliver growth alongside our customers, our stakeholders and our communities."
Newcastle-based law firm Muckle LLP has made six new promotions.
With a specialism in rural property and landed estates, Charlotte Patterson-Ryan has become a partner in the firm's agriculture, estates and rural property team. Sarah Barratt joined the firm in 2018 and, with expertise covering residential and commercial property disputes, she becomes a partner in the top-tier real estate dispute resolution team.
Chris Hook specialises in charity formations, fundraising, restructures, mergers and regulator compliance. He becomes a partner in the sports, education and charities team. Alex Speirs has been promoted within the dispute resolution team, while Hayden Richards and Philippa Walker become associates in the firm’s renowned corporate and real estate teams respectively.
Jason Wainwright, managing partner at Muckle LLP said: “I’m delighted to see Charlotte, Sarah and Chris promoted to partner in recognition of their individual contributions to the firm. It’s fantastic to see Alex, Hayden and Philippa receive their well-deserved promotions too.
“These six promotions reflect the hard work, expertise and enthusiasm these lawyers have shown. Many of them have been with the firm for a number of years and it’s a privilege to watch them craft their careers with Muckle. We pride ourselves on nurturing talent from within, so recognising the commitment of homegrown talent with reward and development is very important to us at Muckle. I look forward to supporting Charlotte, Sarah, Chris, Alex, Hayden and Philippa as they continue on their individual paths as remarkable lawyers.”
A chartered surveyor who started at property services firm Bradley Hall on a student work placement has been promoted.
Callum Armstrong joined Bradley Hall’s Durham office in 2017 as part of a university placement while studying at Nottingham Trent University. He has since progressed from a graduate surveyor position to a senior chartered surveyor - his third promotion in little more than three years.
Mr Armstrong said: “I am absolutely delighted to be embarking upon the next stage of my career with Bradley Hall. Since re-joining the firm I’ve achieved chartered status with the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and have become a RICS registered valuer, which has really helped me grow both personally and professionally. They have also trusted me to get involved in and even lead on some really significant projects which has really helped me better understand the industry and increase my skillset, and given me opportunities which I really don’t think I’d have gotten anywhere else.
Meanwhile Chris McVay has joined the firm as a senior mortgage and protection manager following nearly 20 years in the industry.
Mr McVay said: "Having been self-employed for the last few years with my own mortgage company I am greatly looking forward to being part of a larger team again and contributing new ideas to how the Bradley Hall mortgage department can grow and expand. Part of my job is to find the best finance options for my clients and to make the process as smooth as possible. Getting a mortgage is one of the biggest decisions a person can make in their life, so I make sure to support my clients throughout the process to ensure they receive the best deal for them."
Artech Lighting has appointed Sean Renforth as regional sales manager at its Durham headquarters, covering the North East.
Mr Renforth joins the 50-strong firm from Whitecroft Lighting, where he spent 20 years. He brings more than three decades of experience in the lighting industry, and his appointment follows the recent hiring of sales director, Sean Kirkland, and his brother, Daniel Renforth, also regional sales manager who covers the North West and Yorkshire regions.
Mr Renforth said: "Joining a young, agile business that is growing rapidly and really disrupting the UK lighting industry was an opportunity not to be missed. And as someone from the North East, it’s really exciting to see a company so committed to creating skilled, sustainable jobs here.
"Artech is the epitome of a modern manufacturer – that is, not just churning out product for now, but creating solutions that are futureproof. Harnessing innovation address issues like spiralling energy costs, reducing carbon footprints and using data to drive continual improvement."
Sales director Sean Kirkland said: "Sean and I worked together for many years, and I’m delighted with his appointment. He brings a wealth of industry experience and knowledge that will only add further fuel to Artech’s growth. Artech continues to seek out and secure the best people working in the lighting industry. We want to make our Durham HQ a UK lighting hub, where we continually push the boundaries of our industry with design, innovation and efficiency, and Sean’s appointment is another steppingstone to achieving that.”
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